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PUNXSUTAWNEY — Two of the latest inductees into the Punxsutawney Sports Hall of Fame are William Vassallo and George Work.
William Vassallo

Vassallo played high school basketball at Cameron County High School and college basketball at Lock Haven University from 1973 to 1977, where he was a second team PSAC All-Star during his senior year.

During his career at PAHS, Vassallo was the JV basketball coach from 1977 to 1982 and was the head boys’ basketball coach from 1982 to 2006.
During his 24 seasons as head coach, he had 324 career wins.

In 1991-92, his team finished 27-3, losing in the state championship game to Steelton Highspire.

Vassallo was named the 1992 Associated Press Big School Coach of the Year in Pennsylvania. He is currently a member of the District IX Committee and was recently named the athletic director at PAHS.

George Work

Work was a varsity football letter-winner and 1947 graduate. He played semi-pro football in 1949 in Jamestown, N.Y., for the Niagara Falls League and Punxsy Beaver Bombers 1951 semi-pro.

He was a PIAA football official for 41 years and a semi-pro official Whitetail Buck for State College in the mid-Atlantic League. He was also a baseball umpire for 49 years for the J.C. County League, Jefferson Indiana, Federal League Legion VFW League.

He is also a former commissioner of VFW baseball league.

The Punxsutawney Sports Hall of Fame’s 11th induction banquet will be held at 6 p.m. Saturday in the Punxsutawney Area High School cafeteria.
Other inductees are Gary Astorino, Dominic “Mickey” Barilar, Roger Raybuck and Bruce Chambers, who will be a posthumous inductee.